Whether you want to eat at midnight or dance until dawn, these are the best cities for club and bar hopping.
ADVERTISEMENTIf you often find yourself persuading your friends to go for ‘one last drink’ or dance to ‘one more tune’ then you might be a night owl. While staying out until dawn has been pretty difficult in recent years, the days of club and bar hopping are making a welcome comeback for many around the world.
So if you want to stay up until the wee hours, which are the best cities to do it in? While New York is historically known as the ‘city that never sleeps’, there are now plenty of other contenders for the crown.
To find out which are the best global cities for night owls, SimpleGhar has pulled together statistics on 50 global destinations, using data from OpenStreetMap and TripAdvisor.
Whether you’re looking for the hottest clubs or the tastiest midnight snack, these are the best cities for late-night living.
6. Moscow, Russia
Dancing into the sixth spot is Russia’s capital city. Moscow scores a very decadent 82.6 out of 100 on the nightlife scale, with the average closing time for bars and clubs around 1am. Restaurants stay open until nearly 11pm too, so there’s plenty of time to grab a late night bite before hitting the dancefloor.
If you’re feeling flush, then Night Flight, Moscow’s oldest club and restaurant is the place to be seen. Make sure to dress up though, as the club has a notoriously strict entrance policy. Once you’re inside, drinks are pretty pricey too, but as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it’s an essential spot for dedicated party animals.
5. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hot on Russia’s heels is the global luxury shopping and entertainment destination of Dubai, with 84.9 out of a possible 100 points. Cafes in the city stay open until 10.36pm on average, while bars and nightclubs are generally open until 1.36am. While respecting cultural values is important here, many hotel bars do serve alcohol.
Expect rooftop lounges, well-curated cocktail menus and instagrammable glamour. All of which will help you forget how much you spent while out shopping earlier in the day.
4. Istanbul, Turkey
Turkey’s capital earns itself a very respectable 86.1 points and you’ll find everything you need here, whatever your taste. From jazz bars to cool elegant courtyards and grungy basements, Istanbul knows how to keep the party going until the break of dawn.
As a city that straddles two continents, there are lots of different neighbourhoods to explore here, each offering a unique take on Turkish life after-hours. Kadıköy and Beyoğlu are just two of the areas you should explore if you’re hoping for a taste of what the city has to offer after sunset.
3. Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade saunters into the top three with an impressive 88.6. The city prides itself on its club scene and has a deep love of electronic, techno and house music. While Belgrade parties hard all through the winter, in the summer months the city’s riverside venues really come alive.
Many clubs move to floating riverside lounges known as splavovi during the warmer months, which are dotted along the Danube and Sava rivers. These large lounges mean people can spill outside when the temperatures rise and enjoy everything a Serbian evening has to offer.
2. Athens, Greece
Long summer nights were made to be enjoyed, so it’s little wonder that the Greek capital of Athens made it to number two. Dinner in Greece usually kicks off around 8pm, but with so many great meze dishes on offer, restaurants here can stay open until midnight.
Once you’ve had your fill, you can dance it all off in one of the many bars and clubs that are dotted around this ancient city. Clubs and bars stay open until 2.26am here on average, so there’s plenty of time to get another round of ouzo shots in before heading home.
1. Cairo, Egypt
If you really want to stay up all night though, head to Cairo. The Egyptian capital has the world’s latest opening cafés and second-latest restaurants. Together they make Cairo the latest-opening city in the world.
The hot climate has made night time hours the norm here, with entertainment venues staying open until dawn and shops open until at least midnight.
If live music is your thing, head to the famous Cairo Jazz Club. Despite its name, it’s more famous for indie and hip hop than actual jazz. If that doesn’t sound like your scene then ZigZag in downtown Cairo is another hotspot for alternative beats.
